Stimulated by the talent and the interest in the rising phenomenon of the Brazilian Rock, soon they had recorded their first LP “Cinema Mudo” (1983) and had become a success with songs such as “Vital e sua Moto” and “Patrulha Noturna”.
The second LP “O Passo do Lui” (1984), consolidated the initial pull with the hits “Óculos”, “Ska” and “Meu Erro”, but it was in the presentation during the Rock in Rio Festival in January 1985, that they were definitely consecrated after their two concerts only for the power of their music, not for any scenic artifice.
After having toured throughout Brazil (more than 150 shows), Paralamas made a stop and released the revolutionary “Selvagem” (1986), that gave new routes to the Brazilian Rock 80’s generation. They abandoned the first influences and started to mold a personal sonority recognized and approved by the youth that bought more than 750 thousand copies of the album. In “Selvagem”, social (“Alagados”) and politics criticism (“Selvagem”) coexisted with good mood (“Melô do Marinheiro”), a tribute to Tim Maia (“Você”) and a partnership with Gilbert Gil (“A Novidade”).
At this time they made the first incursions in Latin America, initiating a work that would lead them to be the most recognized act of the Brazilian music in the decade of 90 in countries as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela. The “Selvagem” success also gave them the right to be the first group of their generation to participate of the Montreux Jazz Festival, in 1987, when they took advantage to also perform at the Olympia in Paris.
The concert in Montreux was recorded and became the LP and video “D” (1987), with the participation in the keyboards of João Fera and George Israel (sax), as special invited.
In the following year a new successful LP “Bora Bora”. The hits “O Beco”, “Uns Dias” and “Quase um Segundo” extended the series of influences and added brass instruments to the sound of Paralamas.
The following LP “Big Bang” (1989) would consolidate the new sonorous format in exciting songs as “Perplexo” and lyric ones as “Lanterna dos Afogados”, as well as a bossa-nova “Nebulosa do Amor”.
To turn the decade, the trio released the compilation “Arquivo” with their hits of the 80’s, the rerecording of their first hit “Vital e sua Moto” and also the new song “Caleidoscópio”.
The first half of the 90’s would be dedicated to the experiment and the conquest of the Latin American market. The album “Os Grãos” (1991, with songs of minor popular appeal, was not a sales success, but it did not affect the band itself. Herbert, Bi and Barone spent three months in London with the producer Phil Manzanera recording “Severino” (1994), considered by many revewers the “Sgt. Pepper's of 80’s generation” of the Brazilian Rock. In despite of that, the radios did not play the album and the exit for Paralamas was the airport.
In 1992, they released in the Latin American countries the compilation “Paralamas”, with versions in Spanish of their hits, what opened for them the markets that they had been visiting repeatedly since 1986. They started being each time more requested for shows, due to the great success of the Spanish version of “Severino” baptized “Dos Margaritas”.
But the excellent tour of “Severino” throughout Brazil confirmed that Paralamas does not need to have a song on the hit parades to attract the audience, so they decided to release “Vamo Batê Lata” – Paralamas Ao Vivo” (1995). Attached there was a four track bonus CD. The explosion of one of tracks “Uma Brasileira”, a Herbert and Carlinhos Brown partnership, with the special participation of Djavan, led the trio back to the mega success. A second song “Luiz Inácio (300 picaretas)” would lead the band to the politician news after being forbidden to play it in a show in Brasilia, under allegation that the song wounded the honor of the noble members of the Chamber House. The song referred to a declaration of the current Brazilian president, at the time a Federal Deputy, that in the National Congress there were some honored men and 300 tramps. Herbert detonated the political class at that time.
In 1995, Paralamas initiated a pull in the MTV Video Music Brazil that would take them to gather up 11 prizes up to 1999. In that year, the video “Uma Brasileira” got the awards for the best pop video and the video of the audience.
From there on Paralamas sailed in the rhythm of success with two more studio albums: “Nove Luas” (1996) – with the tracks “Lourinha Bombril” (awarded with the best video of the year, best edition and direction in the MTV Video Music Brazil (VMB) and “Busca Vida” (best video of the year in the VMB) – and “Hey Na Na” (1998) – with the tracks “Ela Disse Adeus” (five awards in the VMB: best video of the year, best pop video, best direction, photograph and direction of art) and “O Amor não Sabe Esperar” with the participation of Marisa Monte. The video “Depois da Queda o Coice” gained the VMB for the best edition.
In 1999, it was the time for a project that they have dreamt of during the entire decade, the album “MTV Unplugged”. Instead of making a revision of their career through the successes, they opted by a repertoire dominated by significant songs that had not received the due attention (“Bora Bora”, “Vai Valer” and “Trem da Juventude”) with homage to Chico Science and the group Legião Urbana, the new song “Sincero Breu” and “Um Amor Um Lugar”, recorded before by Fernanda Abreu. The CD sold more than 500 thousand copies and gained the Latin Grammy for the best Brazilian rock album.
The victorious “Unplugged” tour was extended until the end of 2000, when the trio released the compilation “Arquivo 2”, that brought the unpublished “Aonde quer que eu vá”, a Herbert Vianna and Pablo Sergio Valle partnership, one of the great composers of the Brazilian Popular Music (MPB).
At that time, Paralamas announced a six month stop for vacations and a reformulation in the sound of the group, after almost two decades of career. The plans pointed to a new rock album and, primordially, in trio.
This CD was recorded and is titled “Longo Caminho”, but the tragic accident that Herbert suffered on February 4th 2001, left the Brazilian music in mourning. The fall of the small plane in the Angra dos Reis Bay, Rio de Janeiro, when he was on the way to Dado Villa Lobos home, killed his wife, Lucy Needham Vianna and it left him between life and death. The entire country followed Herbert’s fight for survival in the hospital Copa D’Or, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro.
It has been a difficult journey since then due to the sequels of the accident: Herbert is in a wheel chair and has not recovered the cerebral functions fully yet, but all that has not incapacitated him for music and in October 2002, he started the rehearsals with the complete band in his home studio. The result was so good that it led gradually to the new CD, with the repertoire composed before the accident.
The Band:
Herbert Vianna:vocals and guitar
Bi Ribeiro:bass
João Barone:Drums
Mormaço
Os Paralamas Do Sucesso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Na costa da Paraíba
Na barcaça em Propriá
E a ferrugem nessa trilha
Não circula nem o ar
No mormaço da miséria
Quem luta pra respirar
Dá um laço e lança o sal
Passa ao largo em João Pessoa
Tece a vida por um fio
Desce ao rio e fica à toa
Dentro ou distante do mar
Num país tão continente
Tanta história pra contar
Nas quais se conta o que se sente
De onde foge, pr’onde vai
Nesta vertigem de cores
O que falta e o que é demais
Quais seus mais ricos sabores
Dá um laço e lança o sal
Passa ao largo em João Pessoa
Tece a vida por um fio
Desce ao rio e fica à toa
Por ti tento acender
Outra luz em nossa casa
Lembro que sempre sonhei
Viver de amor e palavra
The song "Mormaço" by Os Paralamas do Sucesso is a reflection on the difficulties and hardships faced by those living in poverty in Brazil. The lyrics describe a scene in the state of Paraíba, where people struggle to breathe in the stifling heat and lack of circulating air. The mention of rust on the tracks suggests a sense of neglect and decay, reflecting the overall theme of neglect of the poor by those in power.
The song goes on to describe a journey on a boat, passing by the city of João Pessoa, and the uncertain and unpredictable nature of life. The lyrics ask questions about what is missing and what is excessive in life, and what the "richest" experiences are. The repetition of the refrain "Dá um laço e lança o sal, passa ao largo em João Pessoa" (tie a knot and throw the salt, pass alongside João Pessoa) gives a sense of both a mundane and repetitive routine, and also a sense of distance and detachment from the world around.
The final verse is somewhat more optimistic, with a focus on personal relationships and a desire to create a better world. The image of "another light in our house" suggests a commitment to improving one's own life and surroundings in the face of adversity. Overall, "Mormaço" is a thoughtful and contemplative song, delving into issues of poverty, uncertainty, and personal transformation.
Line by Line Meaning
Está lá ao deus dará
There it is, left to chance
Na costa da Paraíba
On the coast of Paraíba
Na barcaça em Propriá
In the barge at Propriá
E a ferrugem nessa trilha
And rust on that path
Não circula nem o ar
The air doesn't even circulate
No mormaço da miséria
In the heat of poverty
Quem luta pra respirar
Those who struggle to breathe
Sabe que essa briga é séria
Know that this fight is serious
Dá um laço e lança o sal
Tie a knot and throw the salt
Passa ao largo em João Pessoa
Sail away from João Pessoa
Tece a vida por um fio
Weaves life by a thread
Desce ao rio e fica à toa
Goes down to the river and lazes around
Dentro ou distante do mar
Inside or far from the sea
Num país tão continente
In such a vast country
Tanta história pra contar
So many stories to tell
Nas quais se conta o que se sente
In which one tells what they feel
De onde foge, pr’onde vai
Where to run from, where to go
Nesta vertigem de cores
In this dizzying array of colors
O que falta e o que é demais
What is missing and what is too much
Quais seus mais ricos sabores
What are their richest flavors
Por ti tento acender
For you I try to light up
Outra luz em nossa casa
Another light in our home
Lembro que sempre sonhei
I remember I always dreamt
Viver de amor e palavra
To live by love and word
Contributed by Jacob G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
korbhos
Sou argentino e gosto dessa mistura entre o rock e os ritmos folcloricos regionais. Paralamas, o grupo brasileiro que mais sucesso fez na Argentina. obrigado!
Diego Leiva
Hermanos brasileros, los abrazo con esta canción, es hermosa! Saludos desde Argentina.
Diego Leiva
Fabuloso, excelente. Una vez más me conmueven con sus canciones. Brasil Afora es un gran disco y es un placer que sigan haciendo buena música. Aguante Paralamas!
Rodrigo Freire
"Depois de tanta informação só assim pra aliviar a cabeça, tranquilizar os ouvidos e acalmar o coração" Paralamas e Zé, não tem como dar errado:)
Winne Santos
São esses momentos que dá orgulho de ser brasileiro.
Mai
Nessa quarentena 2020 ouvindo os melhores! ✌🏻
4ndr01d99
"Não circula nem o ar, no mormaço da miséria, quem luta pra respirar, sabe que esta briga é séria". "De onde foge e pra onde vai, nesta vertigem de cores, o que falta e o que é de mais, quais seus mais ricos sabores." Sem comentários, perfeito. Que dia as modinhas de hoje no BR vão levar tal letra na mente dos jovens ? R= Nunca ! Poucos tem o dom de criar música.
Luiz Felipe da Silva
Muito bom, como todas as outras musicas dos paralamas.....Eles são fodas.. e que venham muitas mais como essa.......
GG BR JULIO HACKER
Os paralamas cada vez melhores! São realmente fodas!!!
Suzana Arleno Souza Santos
Adoro ser nordestina e fazer parte dessa cultura tão rica.